Harold and Kumar’s John Cho inhales communal Canadian spirit on B.C. film set

VANCOUVER – The mechanics of making a movie are generally the same just about anywhere you go, but American actor John Cho discovered a significant difference between shooting a big studio picture in L.A. and a small independent film on the outskirts of Vancouver.

“If I may generalize about your culture, there’s a sense that we’re all in it together,” says Cho from the Mission, B.C., set of That Burning Feeling, a new comedy directed by longtime Vancouver producer Jason James (Cole, Robson Arms).

“I’m not joking. I actually heard someone say ‘If we all pitch in, we can get it done faster.’ I had never heard anyone say that on a set before, and I literally turned my head to see who said it. It was such a surprise. In most cases, you’d hear ‘Hey, get that done or we won’t get the shot. I will have you fired.’”

Granted, the stakes are a little bit different. Cho is a Hollywood veteran who went from smaller parts in such classics as American Beauty and Wag the Dog to brand-name fame in the wake of the Harold and Kumar franchise.

Now a member of the new crew for the Starship Enterprise in the role of Sulu, Cho can honestly say he’s been in a part of grand Trek spectacle, but the true rewards of acting are often more palpable on the smaller sets, such as the one he’s on right now – in the cold, dark dampness of the west coast.

It’s an odd backdrop for a film with a flaming title, but That Burning Feeling is built on shaking up expectation.

The story of a man (Paulo Costanzo) diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease and then forced into disclosing the unpleasant news to his previous partners, the film features Cho as part of the comic chorus that also includes Toronto native and Chelsea Handler chum Ingrid Haas.

Developed in partnership with Telefilm’s comedy lab, it’s not what you’d call a “big movie.” But producer-turned-director James says no genre is better suited to low-budget moviemaking than comedy, which is why he’s spent the last few years of his life bringing the his new twist on the romantic romp to fruition.

“I wanted to make a romantic comedy about the least romantic thing possible… a sexually transmitted disease,” says James sans apology.

Cho says he agreed to the part because he had a relationship with the writer, Nicolas Citton, and he thought it would be a fun thing to do with a friend. “I was also attracted to the narcissism of the character. That resonated on a certain level.”

Cho laughs, with a little sigh at the tail end of his breath. He’s seen his own ego, he says.

“Fortunately, I wasn’t successful enough to embarrass myself in any meaningful way. Trust me, though. I did on a local level.”

He knows others haven’t been so lucky.

“It’s really weird as an actor because you can be in your 20s and living life and being stupid, and no one taps you on the shoulder and says, hey, hopefully you are in this for 40-50 years – and you’re going to be running into the same people. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of people you’re going to see decade after decade because you can’t go to Houston to be an actor.”

Over his two decades in the business, Cho says he’s turned his whole métier into a means of human study – not just as an actor studying character, but also as an observer to the whole fame phenomenon and what it takes to succeed.

“I am interested in people who are on top and how they stay on top. In a vague way, it’s a bit like athletes and how they stay on top of their game. You know, I always root for the older athlete. I root for the second album. I root for solo careers after the rock star breaks the band apart,” he says.

“I’ve become a lot more interested in second and third acts. And I’m a lot less interested in that splashy debut. For me, the most interesting thing is longevity and sustaining a career, because that’s what’s truly difficult.”

The challenge is the changing self, he says. “The reasons why I enjoyed acting when I began are not the same now. And at first, that sent me into a bit of a crisis because acting didn’t make me as happy as it did when I started. So I had to find another way for it to make me happy. You have to accommodate your changing personality or values, and you have to shape the work in a way that you can feel satisfied.”

Right now, Cho says he’s found a good fulcrum. “Thankfully, I’m not sweating too much about how to climb the ladder, and I’m not sweating too much about the money. I’m trying to think of making work that I am proud of, and I think everything falls into place after that.”

Cho says relaxing has allowed him to find more bliss per moment, but working on the Star Trek movies is an ambient pleasure sensation.

“I would describe [being on that set] as a sense of wonderment. You go on the Starship Enterprise and it’s like being in an electronic cathedral. It’s like being in a storybook and you have to make that real,” he says.

“This movie is a little different. We are in the elements, and office buildings, and courthouse steps. But my job is still the same: To make it real.”